What Comes Between Us
by JayTheCow
Summary: "I had always complained that my life was boring and uneventful. I had always complained that my life needed the thrill and adventure... But now that I have it, I'm not sure that I want it anymore..." TykixOCxKanda
1. The Ancient Book

**A/N: **Hey guys! This is my first D. Gray-Man story, so please bear with me! XD Oh, and for the Naruto fans, please read my Naruto fanfic! XD My cousin, **DarkFlame Alchemist **helped me with this chapter, so please read her stories tooooo! XD

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man or anything mentioned here that is owned by someone else.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

CHAPTER 1: The Ancient Book

_'"But, Jane, I summon you as my wife: it is you only I intend to marry."_

_I was silent: I thought he mocked me. _

_"Come Jane-come hither."_

_"Your bride stands between us."'_

I smiled, giddy and excited as my favorite scene unfolded.

_'"My bride is here," he said, again drawing me to him, "because my equal is here, and my likeness. Jane, will you marry me?"'_

Immediately after reading this scene, I giggled to myself and noticed a few inquiring looks from others coming my way. I just smiled sheepishly at them and stood up after placing my book on my desk. I straightened my long-sleeved white blouse and dark blue short skirt that reached until above my knees, deciding to stretch my muscles that fell asleep from too much sitting.

I began to walk around, watching the people sitting on the couches, waving slightly at the familiar people, and stacking the books in their proper places. I didn't walk that far, though, just in case somebody could come and inquire me about the books.

In my family bookstore, we only lent our books, and sold them rarely. All the books in here were our very own collection. You can find books in this three-story building piled on the floor, on the window sills, on couches, on small coffee tables and, of course, the shelves. They were my family's and I hated to see them getting manhandled, dog-eared, dirtied, or anything of the like that would do damage.

_Cling! Cling! Cling! _

I heard the front door open and rushed to my desk, seeing a middle-aged man carrying a small, old hardcover book that he had borrowed a few days ago. He walked towards me and stopped in front of my desk, placing the book on it. He then smiled at me. "Good afternoon, Uncle Jean. What can I do for you today?"

"Good afternoon, Jei. I'm just returning the book that I had borrowed." Jean was a neighbor of mine as well as a friend of my parents. Along with him, his wife and two other neighbors would visit me from time to time ever since my parents left three years ago, just to make sure I was alright.

I shyly nodded and used the tip of my left index finger to push my oval, rimless glasses up the bridge of my nose before taking the book carefully into my hands. People said that I was too careful with books, since not once in my life have I ever damaged a book.

"The Wizard of Oz." I mused to myself after picking up the book with my hands, taking a good look at it. I stroked the front cover gently with the tips of my fingers, a habit that I had developed over time. "Written by L. Frank Baum, published on 1900..." I caught myself before I could make an in-depth, detailed explanation of the book, like I always did, subconsciously, of course.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I guess I had rambled on. Again." I smiled sheepishly at the man who just chuckled. "Um… Did your daughter like the story, uncle?" I asked him while stamping the paper inside the book, marking it as returned. In all these years that my neighbors took care of me, I've gotten used to calling them uncle or auntie.

"Ah, yes. She did." he smiled warmly. "Well, of course, since the recommendation came from you."

I just gave him a small laugh and slightly ran my hand through my long, licorice black hair that reached until the middle of my back, like I always did whenever my shyness tended to rise.

"Do you have anything else to recommend to me?" Jean smiled. "Alice really enjoyed reading your books."

At the mention of recommending books, I felt my eyes light up as I beamed at him, my shyness temporarily forgotten, as I got lost in my enthusiasm.

"Well, there's Alice in Wonderland, Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, A Little Princess, Heidi…"

Jean chuckled and shook his head at my excitement. "Alright, alright. Just show them to me."

"Okie dokie!" I grinned and got all of the books I mentioned. When I came back, he was looking at the book I was reading a few minutes ago.

"How many times have you read this book already, Jei?" he said before looking at me with a smile on his face. "Hmm… let me guess. I'll bet you've read it more than a dozen times." At his statement, I felt my shyness creeping back in, ever so slowly.

"Uhh… not really… I think." I gave him a small smile and showed him the books, to which he picked two of them: Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio. After checking them out, we had a small conversation before he left, with him asking if I was alright by myself and if I needed some supplies. To that, I just shook my head and smiled. In a matter of seconds, he cleared his throat and slightly tipped his hat in my direction as he walked towards the door.

"Well, I should get going now. Thank you, Jei. Take care." and as a response, I smiled at the man and wished him the same as he left. With that done, I picked up the book I was reading earlier, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and sighed dreamily as I remembered what scene I was reading. This book was one of my favorites. I most likely read it half a dozen times. Maybe even more.

_'Ooooh, Rochester. It would be very interesting to meet a guy that is as romantic, gentleman-like, mysterious and handsome as you are…'_ I slightly giggled to myself again, like the hopeless romantic sixteen-year-old I was, as that thought crossed my mind.

* * *

Nothing that eventful happened after that. The routine was the same way as any other London afternoons were like. People came in and out of my bookstore, some leaving with books and some not. Oftentimes, I noticed people just lounging about, not really reading books. Seeing those kinds of people just made me shake my head and sigh. What was the point of going to a bookstore if one wasn't going to read a book?

"Thank you for coming! Please come again tomorrow!"

When closing time arrived, and the last person left the bookstore, I stood up and stretched slightly with a sigh. _'Another day gone, another arises tomorrow...'_ I thought to myself while stacking all the retuned books into a cart and beginning to place them to their respective places, but not before stroking and inspecting them for any blemishes, tears or scratches of the sort. Along with that, I also checked the list of books, just to make sure that they were all complete.

I had gotten this bookstore from my parents when they went away on some 'business trip' a few years back. They told me to take very good care of it while they were gone, and I did just that. Apparently, they were _still _on that business trip. Who had business trips that took three whole years anyway?

I sighed as this thought entered my mind. Well, I wasn't one to complain. I did love the company of the books. Books were my comfort zone. They always have and always will be, and the fact that I was often silent and shy made managing the bookstore compatible for me.

"There. All finished." I smiled to myself after returning the last book in its place while closing my eyes and breathing in the smell of books. I just loved the smell of books. It made me feel calm and secure. Without books, I don't think I could live. I let out a breath and stretched once again. I guessed going through three stories of books that needed arranging did that to people.

Lastly, like I always did before fully closing down the bookstore, I made my way through the door behind my desk, which led to a hallway that went straight to my room. As I continued on, I was trailing my fingers across the spines of my book when something caught my eye.

There was a book on the shelf that I had never seen before. Not until now, at the very least, which was rather weird for a bookworm like me. From where I saw it, which wasn't that far, I saw that it was a very old book, as in decades old. Maybe even more. It was big and thick, and most definitely hard.

_'There's something in this book… I can feel it.'_ My brows furrowed as I reached for it. I could imagine feeling the material with its creases, tears and folds. When my fingers were only a few inches away from it—

_Gong... Gong... Gong..._

My clock gonged several more times, signaling to me that it was already late. I sighed and glanced back at the book one more time before making my way to the door, promising myself to check it out tomorrow. Without turning my back, I switched off the light in the shop and entered my room.

* * *

"Jei!" a small six-year-old boy with red hair smiled at a six-year-old me, holding out a necklace. It was a jade stone that was tied with a string and attached to a chain. "Here! I made it myself, but I asked some people to help, though!"

The younger me grinned widely at the redhead as he helped me put it on. "There, see? It looks really pretty on you, Jei!"

I nodded and gave him an affectionate hug. "Awww! You didn't have to, you know! Thank you, though!"

A huge smile beamed on his face as hugged me back.

_Gong… Gong… Gong…_

My eyes opened after hearing the sound of my loud, buzzing clock. I gave myself an irritated sigh while sitting up on my bed, recalling the dream that was more like a flashback. That boy… the one in the dream who gave me the necklace was my childhood best friend, who I haven't seen for years. Back then, we still lived in Asia. I always remembered him being irked that I was a month older than him, since for him, boys should be older. And apparently, superiority also came with age. Throughout my childhood with him, we were inseparable and practically lived like siblings. One day I would sleep over at his place, and on the next, he would sleep at mine. I spent all my days playing with him and, together, we made pranks on everybody. We were such mischievous children. Now that I think about it, I wasn't sure where my shyness came from. I guessed it happened when we left for London…

I turned to look at my bedside table, where I usually left the necklace. I took the stone gently into my hand and caressed it. I had kept it with me throughout these years, and I treasured it so much because it was the last thing I received from him before I left. Also, during the years as I was growing up, the chain didn't fit my neck anymore, so lately, I had to wear it as a bracelet.

'_You know, you won't be able to meet him anytime soon anymore… it's been so long since you've seen him… and this is a big world…'_ I thought to myself, remembering the day we tried contacting his family, but haven't heard a word from them, not even once. Nobody ever answered our calls. It was like they just disappeared. I didn't know why, but I decided to wear it today. Immediately after putting it on, I finally got out of bed and did my usual routine: take a shower, eat, and do some cleaning before opening the shop for another day. Once all that was done, I entered the bookstore and headed the main door when a thought struck my mind:

_The book_.

* * *

Now, as I stood in front of the shelf where the book was, I suddenly felt myself have a yearning to hold it, just like the past night. Just standing there, I already started to feel it… _'I think… it's alive.'_

"Snap out of it." I chided myself. "It's just a book… right?"

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and reached for the book. And when I touched it, I felt… something within it. I felt it humming with energy, as weird and impossible as it sounded. But, it was true. I felt its energy go through me as well. I also sensed something mysterious about it, so I decided to look it over in my room.

Before I did, though, I opened my bookstore for the day, and placed a note on my desk that said that I was occupied at the moment. When I entered my room, I sat on the bed and placed the big book on my lap. Now that I was up close, I clearly saw how big it was. It was around fourteen inches in length, fifteen inches in height, and four inches in width.

"What the heck is this?" When I directed my eyes to the title of the book, I saw a bunch of letters from different languages jumbled up and apparently, that was the title of the book. From this 'title' I was able to recognize letters from the English, Japanese, French languages as well two other ones, but I couldn't understand what they meant.

"How does the author expect people to read something that's more or less gibberish?" I shook my head and decided to check out the book anyways. As my usual habit went, before I attempted to open or read a book, I would run my fingers through it. I did so, going through its spine, cover and back, feeling it completely. I didn't know why, but I liked feeling its texture. Some might even say that I was in a trance when I did that. But, now that I was so close to it, I noticed something different now.

I thought that just opening the book would change my life. Drastically. And when I did, chaos erupted.

* * *

In actuality, it wasn't that chaotic. When I opened it, green light engulfed my room, wind blasted from my forcefully opened window. Surprised by the sudden event, I was definitely terrified now. What if magic really was real? What if it was the Wicked Witch of the West? What if I was going to enter my own Wonderland? What if—

_What if… I was just simply going crazy?_

'_Have you ever thought, that too much information in your brain could make you go mad?'_

My neighbor had told me that once before, jokingly, of course. But, now that I think of it, what if she was serious? What if—

"Kyaaaaaaaaa!"

"Aaaaah!"

I gasped and my heart was thundering now in my chest. Apparently, it was chaotic outside too. Something wrong was going to happen today, I just knew it.

"I… I have to get away from here…" I clutched the glowing book in my hands. I didn't know why, but my instincts told me to escape. To run. To hide. I decided to listen to them and quickly I made my way outside the back door, but when I opened it—

"So _that's _where you were hiding, _Innocence_!"

_THUD! THUD! THUD!_

My heart hammered harder in my chest that it became too painful as I saw a human heart-shaped figure headed towards me.

'_I-innocence?!' _Instinctively, I clutched the book to my chest, determined to protect it, for reasons beyond me.

As I kept on looking at it, something at the back of my mind told me that I _knew_ what this was in front of me. I just couldn't pull the idea out of my mind, but I knew, somehow.

In front of me, the creature chuckled. "First time seeing an akuma, eh?"

'_A-akuma!' _ My eyes widened, since I remembered what akuma were. I knew what their objectives were. My parents told me the stories and I've read the books – based on the knowledge that I know, I knew that I should have been running. But… I couldn't move. I was too scared. Too frozen to do anything, but stand there.

"Well, enough chit-chat." It cackled while advancing towards me. "It's time to destroy that Innocence now!"

_Run._

Even though my mind told me to, I couldn't. Still paralyzed, I stayed where I was and just stared as the akuma lunged.

_Run!_

It was so near… it was so near. A few more seconds and it would—

_RUN!_

In a split second, I forced myself to move as the akuma crashed through my back door. I felt myself shaking as I bolted along alleyways and across buildings. And, without looking back, I ran and ran and ran some more. Only one word retained in my head: _run._

* * *

'_What am I supposed to do? What __**am**__ I supposed to do!?' _I frantically thought to myself while being chased by six of them now. _'They're gaining…' _I knew self-defense, and was pretty good at it too, but still, how was I supposed to use that against _akuma_?

Every second that I ran, I felt as if the book was getting heavier. And the more I thought about it, the harder it got to carry around. I had to keep going though. I was reaching my limit since I was already panting, and my sight was blurring a bit in the edges. Soon, my vision and strength would get worse and I will get killed.

'_Is that… the end of the alleyway?'_ I thought to myself as I saw a spot of light in the near distance. But in my haste, I tripped on a loose cobblestone, lost my balance and accidently let go of the book. And when I looked up, it was a dead end. In short, I was trapped.

"Are you tired now, human?" One of them asked as he got ready to lunge. "Oh well, time to finish this."

As the akuma lunged towards me and the book, I felt as if time had stopped. The book, which was a meter away from me, snapped open, and glowed in its green hue. Strangely, the confusing letters that I saw just minutes ago flew out of the book and rearranged themselves in a way that I could read them. I reached out for the book, and as I touched it, it flipped to a certain page where a line was glowing green. I didn't know why, but I knew that I had to read it, and exactly at that point did I feel like time had resumed. My heart thundered once more as the akuma drew nearer and nearer. Amidst my fear, I found myself reading the lines as the first akuma swung its weapon to attack:

"_Ancient Book, thine vast, absolute power hath been called for't. Hear my call, as thou shalt o'er wrought my enemies. Cometh now! As thy master, protect me!"_

I thrust my hand out at the same time as the akuma brought down its weapon. Instead of hitting me, the bullet hit a barrier that surrounded me. At this, I was shocked that something like this could happen, and that I was the one who did it. But I knew it wouldn't last forever. Little by little, as the attacks increased, I felt the defensive barrier around me weaken, and the akuma felt it too, for it began to smirk.

"Hahaha! Now, die!" As the akuma's weapon came down on my barrier, it shattered upon impact, leaving me defenseless. Just by my fatigue, I knew that I couldn't do another spell like the one I made before as I saw its weapon come down towards me.

'_Is… is this it…?'_ I closed my eyes and expected pain, but nothing came. Instead, I heard the akuma wailing and cursing at someone in front of me. I opened my eyes to see a long, blue haired boy, who was probably a few months older than me, brandishing his sword. Well, I assumed he was a boy unless he was a manly girl. He wore a black coat and his back was facing me, and when he sheathed his sword, the akumas all disappeared.

"Hey, are you _trying _to get yourself killed?" My heart skipped a beat when his voice called out to me as he turned around. Seeing his scowling, yet handsome face, I blushed and looked down on the floor. It took me a few seconds to collect myself and reply with a small '…Uh… sorry…'.

"Here. Let me help you up." Suddenly, a girl who looked younger than me held out her hand. She had long green hair and kind looking amethyst eyes. She also had a long cape which had the same design as the boy's. I gladly took her hand after I picked up my book from the floor.

"My name is Lenalee." She smiled at me and gestured towards the boy. "He's Kanda." He nodded his head a bit and I smiled shyly at both of them. "What's your name?"

"Um…" I ran my hand through my hair, feeling my shyness creep up to the maximum. "My name's Jei."

"Miss!" hearing the voice, our heads swiveled in its direction. A man wearing a beige hooded cloak ran towards us. "Have you found the Innocence?"

"Yeah. We nearly lost it to those akuma too." Kanda scowled and folded his arms.

"Please contact the Order and tell my brother that we found it and its accommodator." Lenalee added.

'_Innocence… Order… Akuma… Accommodator…?' _throughout their small talk, I pieced these four information together, and it only led to one thing…

"Wait, are you guys…" I started to say when they looked at me. Lenalee smiled and turned to me.

"Yes. We are exorcists...And you are one too."

* * *

**A/N: **Heeey guys! I hope you guys liked it! Please go easy on me, and please review!

Till the next chappie!

~JayTheCow~


	2. Unwanted Changes

**A/N: **Hey guuuys! Sorry for the long wait! Writer's block has been a pain in the butt. :PPPP Thankies to **DarkFlame Alchemist **for beta-reading my chappie! Love you, cousin!

Guys, read her stories! They're AWESOME! Also read **CatsAreMyJoy (my sister)'s **story: **The Possible Impossibility.** It's a Naruto fanfic. Please read my other story too!

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-Man. Katsura Hoshino does.**

On to the chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

_Previously..._

_"My name is Lenalee." She smiled at me and gestured towards the boy. "He's Kanda." He nodded his head a bit and I smiled shyly at both of them. "What's your name?"_

_"Um…" I ran my hand through my hair, feeling my shyness creep up to the maximum. "My name's Jei."_

_"Miss!" hearing the voice, our heads swiveled in its direction. A man wearing a beige hooded cloak ran towards us. "Have you found the Innocence?"_

_"Yeah. We nearly lost it to those akuma too." Kanda scowled and folded his arms._

_"Please contact the Order and tell my brother that we found it and its accommodator." Lenalee added._

_'Innocence… Order… Akuma… Accommodator…?' throughout their small talk, I pieced these four information together, and it only led to one thing…_

_"Wait, are you guys…" I started to say when they looked at me. Lenalee smiled and turned to me._

_"Yes. We are exorcists...And you are one too."_

* * *

CHAPTER 2: Unwanted Changes

**3rd POV**

"Thank you." Lenalee politely thanked the woman, who gave her a cup of tea, with a smile.

After saving Jei, they went back to her bookstore to let her prepare her belongings. Right now, the woman in front of them was her neighbor, who Jei referred to as "Auntie Marilyn". Lenalee, Kanda, Toma and Marilyn sat at one of the coffee tables in the bookstore for a while, waiting for Jei to get ready. As Marilyn sat on the chair in front of them, she sighed with a little sadness.

"I really hope that you won't take her from us..." she smiled sadly while stroking her cup of tea."But... It can't be helped, can it?"

"I'm really sorry..." Lenalee started, gently placing her hand on top of Marilyn's. "But, Jei's an exorcist. Her life would be much different now. And not to mention dangerous... Not only that, but the people around her would be in danger too."

"So, please understand. It's for the good of everybody..."

"... I know." Marilyn gave a resigned sigh and turned her head to look around the store. "But, once she's gone... A lot of things will change..."

A few seconds of silence passed before Lenalee spoke again.

"If you don't mind my asking, but how is Jei like?" At the question, the woman smiled knowingly.

"Jei is a kind girl; although she could be quite shy most of the time. She's typically the observer, and hardly talks unless she needs to, so it might prove to be difficult for her to open up... But if you give her some time to get used to you... Well," Marilyn chuckled. "You'll be surprised by her change of demeanor. Talk to her about books, and you're good to go!"

* * *

**Jei 1st POV**

I sighed as I looked over my luggage. I must admit… I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave the comfort of my books, my life, my town, my neighbors and my house. I've never felt anywhere else as safe as my home. And frankly, I was afraid to leave. I was afraid to leave the safety of my house, the only thing I've known for the rest of my life.

But, another side of me would be excited, since I was embarking on a great adventure. It would be like the adventure books I've read, all the stories I've heard. I'd be living the life of the stories I've read. This would be like a great turn of event in my life, like any other protagonists of novels have had. But, no. This was a totally different story. This was real life. This was real, and it was happening, right here and right now. Real life would never be as easy as any other lives in the books I've read... This would change my life forever.

"But I don't want any changes..." I whispered to myself as I clenched my fists on the book. My Innocence. "Why must you happen to me, Innocence? I like my life the way it is... I..." I feel myself shaking while tears began to prickle in my eyes.

"No! Do not cry!" I shook my head furiously, refusing my emotions to get the better of me. "Maybe this is the path that I should take. Maybe this path is meant for me. I just have to believe that what is to happen is meant to happen... That's all there is to it."

I finished fixing my things and placed them all in my luggage. More than half of my luggage consisted of my clothes, with the rest being my favorite books. There was no way that I was going to leave them here. When I was about to leave my room, I turned around and memorized every detail that I could of it. My bed, my lamp, my table, everything. I wanted it to be implanted in my head, so that I wouldn't ever forget about it. I also walked around my bookstore for, hopefully, not the last time. I ran the tips of my fingers through their spines, like I always did. I've always been a sentimental kind of person, and now was the time that my sentimentality has been shown the most.

* * *

Throughout these last minutes with my books, my heart had been pounding in my chest faster than usual. Recalling all my memories here must be the cause of that…

_*flashback*_

_It was at the afternoon in the bookstore, and I was 8 at that time. Immediately after we had our bookstore, I started reading books a lot, and even my parents noticed that I've been growing silent. I made sure to reassure them that I was fine, and that it was just a new environment. I was just getting used to this new life._

_That afternoon, as always, I was immersed in my books, with a pile of them surrounding me. I stayed in my usual place, at the window sill, covered by the curtain. At the back of my mind, I heard a sound, and as usual, I shrugged it off. Whenever I read, I tended to unconsciously block out any sounds surrounding me. So when my mom opened the curtain and took the book from my hands, I was nothing short of surprised. _

_"Mom!" I gasped then smiled sheepishly at my mom._

_"Jei," Mom gave me a knowing smile. "I am glad that you love reading books, but if the only thing you do is read and read and read, and the result of that is neglecting your food and your studies..."_

_Mom shook her head and lightly laughed, "What am I supposed to do with you...?"_

_I grinned at my mom as I stood up and followed her to the dining room. _

_*end flashback*_

I smiled wistfully as I traced my fingers along the same window sill that I had called my own. _'Why does leaving have to be so difficult?'_

"Wow! So many books!" I jumped by the sudden statement and turned around to see Lenalee, Toma and Kanda looking around the shelves. "Are these all yours, Jei?" Lenalee looked at me with awe written all over her face.

"Uhh… No. Not all of them…" I ran my fingers down my hair and played with the tips of the licorice black locks, slightly smiling at the inquisitive girl. "Most of them are my parents'…"

"I've lived with these books ever since…" I faintly smiled as another wave of nostalgic memories ran across my mind. Oddly, I felt it comfortable to open myself, even just a bit, to these new people. "It will be so much different without them…"

_**A few minutes later…**_

"Auntie…" I smiled at Auntie Marilyn as we exited from my bookstore. I felt tears come into my eyes as I hugged her. "Auntie, please take care of my family's bookstore for me… I'll try to visit if I can…"

"Yes, I will. Don't worry…" As we separated, she placed a light hand on my cheek and she smiled. "You've grown up a fine young woman, Jei. Take care of yourself."

"Big Sister Jei!" Within a second, a little blonde girl of 6 came running to me with tears in her eyes. "Do… do you really have to go?" She looked up at me and was in the brink of tears. She's the daughter of Uncle Jean, Ella.

"I'm sorry, Ella… but I have to…" I hugged her and held her close. She became like a little sister to me all these years. I held her at arms length and smiled. "Be strong, Ella. I'll try to visit after some time, alright? Now, please don't cry."

"But… But… But…" Ella's green orbs grew tearier every second. "I'm going to miss… seeing you all the time…"

"Hey, stop crying… you're gonna make me cry too…" I wiped her tears gently and added, "Remember those books I lent you?"

"Mhmm…" She gave a small hiccup and looked at me.

"Well, let's just say that I'm giving them to you." As I saw her face light up, I smiled. "Alright?"

"Yeah!" she smiled back and tackled me again.

"Jei…" Uncle Jean and his wife, Auntie Marie both came and hugged me. "Take care, alright? We'll make sure to take care of your bookstore, along with Marilyn here."

While I looked at the smiling faces of Auntie Marilyn, Auntie Marie, Uncle Jean and Ella, I truly felt how grateful I am that they've stuck by me ever since my parents left. They've become like a family to me, but now I'm leaving them…

"Thank you guys… so much!" I waved at them as we walked away from my bookstore and my family. "Hope to see you soon!"

* * *

Upon leaving my bookstore, we walked towards the train station, which wasn't that far, and bought our tickets. Immediately after, we entered a compartment (we got first class) and sat down with me and Lenalee at one side, and Kanda and Toma in the other. While waiting for the train to move, we talked for a bit. Well, actually, I mostly listened. They, meaning Lenalee and Toma, told me about being an exorcist and that was when I found out that Kanda was also 16 years old like me while Lenalee was only 14 years old. It really surprised me how young she was, though I wasn't one to talk. People my age are still considered young.

When the train started moving, Lenalee faced me and smiled, "They're very kind people… its understandable why you didn't want to leave."

"Yeah…" I faced the window and looked into the dark chocolate brown eyes of my reflection. I sighed**,** then looked at my hands. "I wonder… how it would be like without them…"

"Che." Kanda stood up, scowling, and stared right into my eyes. "You should be glad that you know who and _what_ you are. So quit your damn moping."

'_Who and __**what**__ you are?'_ I thought to myself after hearing his words. _'What does he mean by that?'_

"Kanda!" Lenalee frowned at his statement**,** but before she could say anything else, he exited the compartment, saying he needed some air or something.

'_For such a handsome guy, his attitude kind of sucks…'_ I thought as Kanda went out of the compartment. If I had known him for a long time, and not just now, he would have gotten an earful from me, since I was just about ready to blow up. I mean, who wouldn't get angry if someone wasn't being kind to him/her?

"I… I get the feeling that Kanda doesn't like me that much…" I sighed while brushing my side bangs away from my face. It feels really bad when someone gets testy with you, believe me…

"No! It's not like that, Jei!" Lenalee slightly waved her hands in a placating gesture.

"Maybe Master Kanda is just in one of his moods…" Toma added.

"Yeah!" The Chinese girl beside me smiled. "After all, I heard that my brother got Kanda to join us here right when he had just finished a mission. And, come to think of it, I heard that the mission didn't exactly go the way he had wanted it to."

"Mmm…" I slightly agreed with her, while subconsciously stroking the jade stone that my childhood best friend gave me. This was another habit of mine, which helped me comfort myself. Somehow, by doing that, I felt like my childhood best friend was with me all the time.

"Wow! So pretty!" Lenalee gasped and looked at my bracelet. "Who gave it to you?"

A bit surprised by the sudden outburst, I stuttered, "Uhh… m-my… childhood best … friend…"

"But… I didn't see your friend a while ago… where is he or she, then—" her eyes widened then she waved her hands around. She probably saw my reaction to her question. "Ah, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked! It was a step out of line, so…"

"No… it's okay…" I shook my head and slightly smiled at the green haired girl and showed her the bracelet. "My best friend… his name is Luke…" I started. _'Why am I even telling her of all this?'_ I questioned myself. _'I've never been __**this **__open before…'_

"I've grown up with him…" I looked down at my hands. "…I really, really, _really _love Luke. He's like a brother to me. I kind of get overprotective of him all the time… Actually, many people thought we were twins… except for the fact that we look totally different… but all that changed when we left…"

From my peripheral vision, I saw Lenalee frown beside me. "After that… I've never gotten in contact with him… I… felt like… I lost a part of my family… Luke has always been part of my family… Losing him was like losing a brother… So—"

Before I could continue, we felt the whole train shake violently before it came to a sudden stop. Instinctively, I reached for my book, my Innocence, and held it close to me.

"What's happening?" Lenalee's eyebrows furrowed and I saw her tense. Before Toma could open the door of our compartment, Kanda slammed the door open, and behind him, people screamed and ran around. It was utter chaos.

"Hey, this is no time for sitting around! There's akuma!" he shouted at us with his usual expression on his face.

'_Akuma?'_ My eyes widened as I remembered the events that just happened _hours_ ago. Suddenly, the train shook so violently that we were all jerked from our positions. _'What the hey is happening?!'_ I felt like a sudden strong earthquake hit the train or something. All of our belongings flew around and the next thing I knew, I hit something hard.

"Tch! Watch it!" Apparently, it wasn't a some_thing_. It was a some_one_.

'_Oh great… I accidentally hit __**Kanda**__.'_ I sweat dropped at my rotten luck. _'Of all people, __**why Kanda**__?'_

"Uuugh… are you guys okay?" Lenalee called from the other side of the compartment. When we all answered her, I thought that the _earthquake_ was finished, but actually, it was just beginning.

All of a sudden, something attacked our compartment, slicing it in half – with one half containing me and Kanda and the other, Lenalee and Toma. Just to make things worse, an explosion happened at the same time, causing our half and Lenalee's half to separate from each other.

'_Shiz… if I get any dizzier, I'll vomit.'_

Because of the forceful separation of our compartment, our half tumbled and jerked around violently several times. When it finally stopped, I opened my eyes to see Kanda's face only inches from mine. My eyes widened, my heart skipped a beat, and my cheeks flared up with a blush. _'Holy shiz…' _was the only thing that entered my mind as our position fully dawned on me. It took Kanda a few seconds later to realize our position, and when he did, he immediately stood up, giving me a strange look. I think that it was extreme annoyance. Now that I think of it, it seemed like his annoyance wasn't fully directed at me.

'_What the…?'_ My brows furrowed as I sat up, taking in my surroundings. Everything seemed to look… blurry—_'My glasses!' _My eyes widened. It most likely got dropped from the jerking of our compartment.

"Come on, let's go see the damage outside because of the damn akuma," he uttered, walking out of the opened part of the train and jumping out. I didn't reply, just following along as I slowly walked in his direction, making sure that I didn't fall off the edge like an idiot.

Unfortunately, I misinterpreted the number of steps it would take to get to the end and lost balance. I fell forward and closed my eyes, expecting to feel a lot of pain.

That didn't happen though, for it was taking longer than it should have been to hit the ground. I reopened my eyes, seeing that I was floating in midair and I was staring at the ground, _'What's going on?'_

"Stupid woman, how'd you end up falling like that?" I heard Kanda say, although it was very loud and I couldn't see where he was. I looked up and saw the slightly fuzzy image of his face, which I assumed was scowling for the millionth time since I first saw him. I then realized that he had caught me in his arms, which was where I currently was at the moment. My cheeks turned red once more as I scurried off him, falling onto my knees.

I rubbed my eyes and tried to see where we were. I could make out the part of the train we were on which got derailed and noticed that we were at the bottom of a hill. It probably explained why we tumbled around many times. I looked up above and vaguely saw the other half of the train still on the tracks. Thank goodness for that. Now, if only I could find my glasses…

"Che, you can't see, can you?" Kanda figured out, probably from noticing my weird behavior after observing me for a few minutes.

I looked down and frowned, clenching my hands, "I can, but it's blurry..." We heard noises and looked in the direction to see akuma heading towards us.

"Just what we need now," Kanda said in annoyance, pushing himself up so he was standing. He brandished his sword, getting ready to fight. "Go hide somewhere. You'd only get in the way."

Hearing his statement irked me to no end. With his kind of attitude, I could only take as much. But no matter how much I wanted to argue with him, I knew that he was right. I was a novice at fighting akuma. I barely even held my own with one, much less with two, and the fact that my vision was kind of impaired didn't help at all.

With this in mind, I complied, a bit unwillingly, and watched as the dark haired boy faced the five akuma. From what Lenalee and Toma told me along with my knowledge of akuma, I recognized their types. Three were level ones since their appearance were giant, round creatures with faces on them, while the other two were level twos because of their unique appearances - one looked like a palm tree with a skirt and the other was mole-like, had a metal drill for a nose and large claws.

He held the sword in front of him and glided his index and middle finger along its blade. "Innocence, activate! Mugen, unsheathe!"

I stared at Kanda as he activated his Innocence. _'He… looks so much like a Japanese samurai…' _If anything, that fact made him a lot more handsome in my point of view.

"Remember, just stay here." That was the last thing he said before charging towards the akumas, leaving me behind to watch the battle that was to come. I felt so useless.

Kanda jumped in the air, yelling out, "Netherworld creatures! First Illusion!" He moved his arm horizontally as creatures came out of his blade and went straight to the akuma. His attack missed them all as they all dodged. The lower-leveled demons flew up and went for him right after while the others remained back.

I continued to watch Kanda and was amazed at how he took care of the level ones with ease, slashing each one that was headed in his direction. They exploded into dust one by one. He made it seem like the fight was nothing.

The level two akumas appeared more difficult to fight as the mole-looking one burrowed quickly into the ground and the other one threw its arms out, sending two plant vines in Kanda's direction.

When Kanda landed back on the ground, he sidestepped and sliced through the long vines.

_'Wow, he's so cool...'_ I thought as he stayed in his spot while witnessing the akuma retract its arms, screaming in pain.

The ground started to rumble below him. Quickly, he leapt backwards as the other akuma emerged from the soil, attempting to drill him with its nose. When Kanda tried to land back on the ground, he had to jump back up quick because there was a hidden hole. He did this several times, but ended up almost falling into one of them.

"There's no where for you to land, exorcist! I placed traps all over this area and will add some more now!" the burrowing akuma mentioned before heading back underground.

"Che… like that will stop me," Kanda retorted, sending out another attack throughout the battlefield ground. Many of the holes were revealed and he landed on a safe spot.

The dark-haired exorcist began to run around the holes very fast, and towards the other akuma, which had finally regenerated its arms and maneuvered them in his direction. He moved quickly, able to avoid the vines while watching where he was going.

'_He has good hand and eye coordination… and his speed is incredible,'_ I thought, mesmerized by the scene. Kanda was able to keep calm while battling not just one, but two level two akumas.

Kanda dodged the vines once again as he was making his way to the plant akuma, but it was taking longer because of the newly made holes that he kept almost falling in, plus the razor leaves that the akuma was also sending out.

When he got closer, he jumped high, slashed the vines that retracted back to the screeching akuma once more and held his sword up high to strike the demon down.

'_Yes, he's going to kill it!'_ I thought excitedly, holding my hands together in anticipation.

Suddenly, a crater formed around the akuma, leaving it in a small island within the crater as the akuma was waiting for its vines to regenerate once more.

Kanda growled before leaping back onto the edge of the crater instead. He was about to **swing **his sword horizontally, but the other akuma resurfaced beneath him, taking a hold of his hand that was holding Mugen with its tongue as well as both of his legs with its arms.

"Get off me, damn akuma!" he shouted while attempting to regain the use of his limbs.

Out of nowhere, the vines appeared again, more quickly than it would have before, and went straight through Kanda's chest and out of his back. His eyes widened, but his body remained still. Both akumas were smirking at their accomplishment.

"Kanda!" My eyes widened in shock at what I just witnessed. Blood dripped from the edge of his mouth and chest_. 'H-how... How did this happen?'_ Just by watching this fight, I already thought of him as an incredibly strong guy. Him getting hurt badly never crossed my mind.

My hope came back when Kanda held the vines tightly with his free hand as soon as the tips got out of him. He then pulled his other arm up so hard that the mole akuma's tongue released its hold, allowing him to stab the akuma through the tongue before it could go back in the akuma's mouth.

Kanda released it right away, and the akuma went back in the ground quickly.

The other way tried to pull its vines away from him, but it couldn't because Kanda was holding onto them. He brought his sword up and swung down onto the vines, not letting go of them. The injured parts quickly retracted, taking Kanda with them. He had his sword pointed forward, and when he got close enough to the akuma, he stabbed it through its body.

The exorcist released a surge of energy from his sword, causing the akuma to explode.

I sighed in relief, _'He was able to kill one of them… that's good… but he's still injured. Can he keep on going?'_

When the smoke cleared, I noticed him leap off the middle of the crater and onto the edge **again** before going down on his knees, with one hand holding his wound as he breathed heavily. His hair wasn't tied up anymore, probably from when he defeated the akuma.

A large mound of earth began to move along the ground and head towards Kanda from behind him, like a shark in water. I didn't think he noticed, for his head was down and he appeared in pain.

"Kanda, watch out! The akuma's behind you!"

He heard me and did a 180 turn while swinging his sword. The akuma surfaced at the same time Kanda deflected its metal nose and pushed it back, causing it to go back in the earth. He then jumped back, making sure not to end up in a hole before kneeling on one knee with the tip of his innocence pressed in the soil.

Another mound of dirt arose, headed towards him again, but Kanda looked too tired to do anything.

'_Kanda… I need to do something to help, and quick. I can't just sit around here while he does all the work.'_ At the corner of my eye, I noticed my Innocence a few meters away from me. Just staring at it gave me the impression that it wanted me to do something.

"Me? But what can I do?" I asked it after reaching forward and picking it up.

"Die exorcist! I'll take your innocence and give it to my master!" I heard the akuma laugh as it showed itself once again; ready to strike down on Kanda.

And before I knew it, I was running towards the akuma with my Innocence in hand, making sure to watch out for the holes. I stopped in front of Kanda and clenched the book tightly. _'Please, my Innocence. Help me.'_

"Innocence, activate!" I called out, remembering how Kanda activated his Innocence before. Immediately, my book opened, and once again, it was engulfed in its green hue, as a strong wind blew around me, causing my hair to fly around, _'... I need something that can attack...' _

As though my book had heard my thought, it flipped to a page in which a line was glowing green. Knowing what to do, I immediately read it as the akuma came to attack.

_"Ancient Book, thine vast, absolute power hath been called for't. Bring forth an eternal inferno to thy master's adversary... sear its hardened heart and engulf it in thy never-ending flame. Heed my command and bequeath to me thy power! Inferno's thousand flames!"_

In response to my words, a flurry of fireballs assaulted the level two akuma, burning it completely before it could reach us. I thought it already disappeared, but it started moving again with smoke enveloping its body.

'_Shiz… when is it going to die?' _I panted, exhausted by the spell I just cast. My body felt extremely heavy that I could barely stand. _'…Just… one more time… once more…' _I gritted my teeth, fighting against my exhaustion, and preparing myself to cast the spell again.

"One more time, my Innocence! _Inferno's thousand flames!_"

The balls of fire scorched the akuma once again**, **and when the last fireball was hit, it finally disintegrated into dust.

When deactivating my Innocence, a wave of nausea washed over me, making me feel like I was about to faint as I suddenly fell to my knees and covered a hand over my mouth, trying to get over the nauseous feeling. _'That spell... It was a bit too much for me... I… overdid it…'_

I was about to relax when I saw a shadow hovering over me. Opening my eyes quickly, there was a level one akuma in front of me, about to shoot its guns.

'_This isn't good… I'm already at my limit.'_

I didn't have to worry, because a blur flashed in front of me and sliced the akuma before it could even attack. The demon exploded soon after.

When it was gone, I saw Kanda's back facing me in my still hazy vision. _'Wait a minute; he was behind me before… how'd he get around me so quickly?'_

"You stupid woman, what were you thinking?!" I heard him angrily say as he faced me with his scowling expression intact. His statement seemed to slightly lessen my nausea so I got up and strode towards him, eyebrows furrowed.

"I just saved your life, and this is how you thank me?!" I looked up at him and glared back. It was then I noticed that he was a few inches taller than me. His eyes widened only a bit of a fraction, probably surprised by my change of attitude, but it was immediately replaced with a glare.

"Che!" Kanda scowled once again. "I would've been fine by myself, and I ended up saving you in the end anyway."

'_So ungrateful,' _I thought to myself before remembering something, "Kanda, you got wounded!"

"I'm fine already, see?" He announced, opening his coat some more to reveal his bloodstained shirt with a hole on it where his injury was supposed to be.

I frowned, _'I could have sworn it was a major wound… how'd it heal so fast?'_

Kanda then let go of his coat and began to walk up the hill, "We have to go meet up with the others. Plus, look for those damn glasses of yours so let's not waste any more time."

'_I get that we have to go find them, but why is he so concerned with my glasses?' _I thought curiously before catching up to him.

* * *

We finally made it back up to the tracks, seeing Lenalee and Toma near a bunch of people. When seeing us, they immediately went towards our direction.

"It looks like the two of you are all right," Toma stated.

"We thought we lost Kanda and our newest member all in one day!" Lenalee added. "Are you guys okay? We had to deal with akuma up here."

"Che, same with us. What's worse, this stupid woman lost her glasses and almost got herself killed," Kanda enlightened them, not bothering to mention the other details of what happened. "I'm going to go look for our stuff so we can get out of here."

"That doesn't mean you didn't yourself," I muttered softly as he left us, heading to the side of the train.

"Oh, your glasses? I actually found them," Lenalee revealed, taking something out of her pocket. She looked at me sadly when showing it to me, "It kind of got damaged though… there are cracks on both of the lenses."

I looked at them and there were indeed damaged, "Oh great."

"Don't worry though," she assured me. "I'll have my brother fix them. They'll be as good as new before you know it!" A smile was on her face now.

"Thank you," I said gratefully to her before we went to go back in the train.

_**A few minutes later…**_

After we finally found our entire luggage, we were about to start walking to the Black Order when I felt like we were being watched. I turned around and looked at the top of a hill to see a black blur on top of it. I squinted, even though squinting can worsen my vision, and saw a (still a bit blurry) person wearing a top hat and an expensive looking black suit. Immediately after seeing the figure, shivers ran down my spine and spread throughout my body. Many people might have mistaken it for fear, but somehow, I knew that it was of anticipation, not of apprehension. It was as if my subconsciousness knew that that person would appear sometime in my life in the future. But whether it'll be a good or bad thing was what I didn't know.

"Hey guys... Is it just me, or is there a person with a top hat standing on the hilltop over there?" But the moment that I asked the question, the figure was gone, like it was never there in the first place.

"Che, there's no one over there. You must be going psycho**,**" Kanda scoffed, not caring at all if I got offended or not.

Lenalee walked over to his side and whacked him on the head with her bag, "That's not nice, Kanda!" He rubbed his head in pain, sending her a small glare. And without another word, he started walking ahead of us.

I sighed, _'Maybe it's just me, but I get the feeling that Kanda dislikes me a lot more when I'm not wearing my glasses.' _

I took one more glance at the hill before turning around and catching up to the others as we walked towards our destination: The Black Order.

* * *

Throughout our whole walk to the Black Order, we've all been silent, except for a few occasional questions from me about the Order. Lenalee told me that the Order will be like a family to me, like it was for her. Through her words, I realized how much she loves the Order.

Besides my frequent clumsy footing and my near-tripping/falling incidents, all of us were quiet. Little by little, I also noticed that I started to give sidelong glances at a certain dark haired boy. I really did not get him. Would it kill him if he tried to be nice? I mean, how will people like him if his attitude was like that?

Each time I caught myself looking, I reprimanded and told myself to focus on not tripping or anything of that sort. I had to be sure of my footing, especially when we crossed a rocky terrain.

"We're here." Toma announced to us as we came to a stop.

I looked up to see a tall tower, which kind of resembled the leaning tower of Pisa on top of a hill. Under the moonlight, it looked early beautiful and mysterious at the same time. It also had bat-like things flying around. Golems, if I remember correctly.

What made me like it the most was the aura it was giving off. I don't know why, but I had a feeling that I'll like it here.

"Wow..." was all I could say. Lenalee smiled at me.

"Welcome to the Black Order."

* * *

**A/N: **Soooooooooooooooo, how'd you guys like it? XDDD Please review! And thank you to **andieanne, Derp, EaglefootMoonflightVipertail , CatsAreMyJoy, and DarkFlame Alchemist **for reviewing! And thankies to those who favorited my story: **April Marciano, CatsAreMyJoy, DarkFlame Alchemist, EaglefootMoonflightVipertail , and Halley Vanaria. **And thankies to **BloodStainsOnMyKisses, EaglefootMoonflightVipertail , and fireyred **for following my story!

Love you guys so much!

Till the next chapter!

~JayTheCow~


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